Vomiting the Truth

It seems clear that truth, that is, the telling of it, is a Biblical mandate. Truth is a topic that is covered hundreds of times in the Bible. Psalm 15:1-2 says, in part, "Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary.....he whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart..." Proverbs 12:22 makes another statement about truth: "The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in men who are truthful." And as a body of believers, we MUST: "...put off falsehood and speak truthfully to [our] neighbor, for we are all members of one body" (Eph. 4:25.) It's apparent that truth is very important to God.

I don't know many Christians who would argue against that. I think maybe the problem with truth lies in the interpretation of what, exactly, is truth. Or perhaps, what isn't truth.

Truth is NOT opinion. In other words, just because it's YOUR opinion, it doesn't mean it's the truth. Is it TRULY how you feel? Yes. Is everyone entitled to an opinion? Of course. Is everyone entitled to share that opinion aloud? Not necessarily. Volunteering the truth in circumstances where it is not asked for or could be detrimental to the spiritual health of the believer receiving it must be considered very carefully first.

Truth is NOT uplifting in all circumstances. While the Bible makes it clear that all words spoken must be true words, it does not say that all true thoughts that pass through one's mind must always come out of one's mouth. The Bible frequently extols the value of mincing words where situations may warrant it. Consider the verse that immediately follows the one we've already looked at in Proverbs: "A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly" (Prov. 12:23.)

Back to that passage in Psalm 15. It goes on to say in verses three and four: "...who has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman...who keeps his oath even when it hurts...He who does these things will not be shaken." If the truth is slanderous, if it leads to gossip, if it hurts a neighbor, if it leads to promise-breaking, or if it puts a fellow man or woman in a bad light before others, truth should be kept to oneself.

Vomiting is a reflex that cannot, for the most part, be controlled. As soon as one feels the urge to vomit, it's already to late to stop it in most cases. It spews forth in all its repulsiveness, never to return to from whence it came.

Truth need not be vomited. Those who go about vomiting the truth haven't learned to practice self control. "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless"(James 1:26). Truth must be shared gently, and in love, respect and humility. If this cannot be done, then truth should be kept to oneself. Vomiting the truth simply leads to a big, putrid mess.